A record number of Americans – nearly one-in-two – have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low-income, according to new figures.

The latest census data reveals a middle class that is shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government’s economic safety net frays.

And experts have warned that if stagnant wages and government cuts persist, many more workers and families will be affected in the future.

‘Safety net programmes such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses are considered too rich to qualify,’ said Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor who specialises in poverty.

‘The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal,’ he said.

‘If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years.’

In a US Conference of Mayors survey being released today, 29 cities say more than one in four people needing emergency food assistance did not receive it.

Hispanic people are most likely to be poor or low-income, the data shows, followed by blacks, Asians and non-Hispanic whites.

Many middle-class Americans are dropping below the low-income threshold – roughly 45,000 dollars (£29,000) for a family of four – because of pay cuts, a forced reduction of work hours or a spouse losing a job.

Housing and child-care costs are consuming up to half of a family’s income.

States in the South and West had the highest shares of low-income families, including Arizona, New Mexico and South Carolina, which have cut back or eliminated aid programmes for the needy.

By raw numbers, such families were most numerous in California and Texas, which each had more than a million of them.

About 97.3 million Americans fall into a low-income category, commonly defined as those earning between 100 and 199 per cent of the poverty level, based on a new supplemental measure by the Census Bureau that is designed to provide a fuller picture of poverty.

Together with the 49.1 million who fall below the poverty line and are counted as poor, they number 146.4 million, or 48% of the US population.

A record number of Americans - almost one-in-two - have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on low incomes

Children are most likely to be poor or low-income - about 57 per cent - followed by the over-65s

This is a four million increase on 2009, which provides the earliest numbers for the newly-developed poverty measure.

The measure takes into account medical, commuting and other living costs. Considering these expenses helped push the number of people below 200 per cent of the poverty level up from 104 million, or one in three Americans, as was officially reported in September.

Broken down by age, children were most likely to be poor or low-income – about 57 per cent – followed by seniors over 65.

By race and ethnicity, Hispanics topped the list at 73 per cent, followed by blacks, Asians and non-Hispanic whites.

Paycheques for low-income families are also shrinking. The inflation-adjusted average earnings for the bottom 20 per cent of families have fallen from 16,788 dollars (£10,800) in 1979 to just under 15,000 dollars (£9,700), and earnings for the next 20 per cent have remained flat at 37,000 dollars (£23,850).

In contrast, higher-income brackets have had significant wage growth since 1979, with earnings for the top 5 per cent of families climbing 64 per cent to more than 313,000 dollars (£202,000).

Well, there is some sad irony about that…Americans are going now to experience the full measure of what it is like to live in the REAL poverty – as how 90% of people in the poor countries do live for AGES. And Americans will have to learn how is that to survive when you have no job or your salary is too low than is needed for the family survival. I would being sarcastic of course if I’d say “welcome, America, to join the majority of the world’s starving society!”..BUT I WON’T. Because there is nothing to feel happy about someone’s suffering, but still, MOST of American people were careless for too long about how the rest of the world is struggling for survival while Americans were eating their extra hamburger or, even worse, were easily throwing it out to the garbage can. I remember some American movies where it is shown how they are proud of themselves when throwing some sandwich out or when they spend extra money on the stupidest things…It seems they are getting now the time to pay a REAL PRICE for being so careless.

And btw, just for your knowledge: since the USSR collapse, 85% of Russians are poor or low income. And it is when Russia is one of the richest country in the world! Think, WHY is that?! And WHO are the richest then?!

Anyway..I am really sorry for the average ordinary American families who now are forced to survive.

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Alfred F. Jones

Atleast someone feels a bit bad for us it’s hard down here man i seen some sad things here i’ve seen people born here leave and i seen some kids crying outside near my highschool few weeks earlier the same kids with average winter clothes and had a home both parents lost their jobs broke my heart in a million pieces it’s sad seeing kids cry on the streets with no home i’m greatful i still got a home and food in the words of Jefferson “One day children will wake up crying and homeless on the land their forefathers conqured”

Sincerely,Yours
Alfred F. Jones(America)

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Just Russian

Oh…what you tell…that breaks my heart too! I cannot see kids crying, being homeless and starving, does not matter what country they belong to…I am a woman by the way and a mother too, this is why I take it all so close. I so wish I could help all those kids immediately! But I am just an average person having the same problems here and have no real control levers in fact…but at the very least what I can do is spreading truth and I DO!

What you, American citizens, are really have to do is to wake up for GOD! All of you! And realize there is a REAL enemy – SATAN – who is now too close to fulfill his plan, struggling against God and using everyone who choose to serve him. All the governments are just his servants. Read my other comments maybe.

I am still sure that even one person alone can do a lot. It is how the History of any country has been created – by the courage of the individuals who were not cowardly indifferent and did not hide in their holes – homes and showed extraordinary strength when is needed. And such, modern, individuals are still among us, working hard for the GOOD and taking all the risk.

You, Americans, as well as we, Russians, must stand for our kids and their future. We CAN do it with God’s help!

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Alfred F. Jones

The goverments are evil i’ve been concerned about America since 09′ we’re getting cops with militarized uniforms and with miltary guns and their “taking” care of people against them another quote i heard
“The Rich and powerful are the strong they have everything they want and take more The Poor are weak and their slaves their playthings But the rich will one day be overthrown by the poor and be thrown out and the poor will celebrate” i have no power over anything if i did i would make sure we would stay out of other Nation’s problems.
P.S Sorry for calling you a man :oops: :oops:

Sincerely Yours
Alfred F. Jones(America)

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Just Russian

You don’t need to apologize, Alfred. You did not know who I am and I was not going to expose what my gender is because it doesn’t matter when I talk about politics. But when it happens to talk about children who are suffering this or that way I just cannot stay calm and then I am just a Mother. I feel for every one of them because kids are kids everywhere and they certainly don’t deserve such a cruel fate as some adults let them to.

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Alfred F. Jones

Every child is born into debut kids crying in the cold winter on the land the forefathers conqured their innocent they have no idea what is going on our leaders chose to help themselves and not care for the American people but our cultrue involves burgers and drunk idiots punching one another and having sex while the other Americans watch that i will be hoping to God that we will not be a police state seen some scary sh*t here officers breaking down an elderly woman’s house flashbaging her home,tramatizing her grandkids finding an ounce of pot in her home poor kids scarred for life this sickens me to no end i can’t do much just a 15 year old kid in highschool worrying for my country (starts humming My Country Tis of thee) :cry:

Sincerely,Yours
Alfed F. Jones(America)

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Alfred F. Jones

Every child is born into debut kids crying in the cold winter on the land the forefathers conqured their innocent they have no idea what is going on our leaders chose to help themselves and not care for the American people but our cultrue involves burgers and drunk idiots punching one another and having sex while the other Americans watch that i will be hoping to God that we will not be a police state seen some scary sh*t here officers breaking down an elderly woman’s house flashbaging her home,tramatizing her grandkids finding an ounce of pot in her home poor kids scarred for life this sickens me to no end i can’t do much just a 15 year old kid in highschool worrying for my country (starts humming My Country Tis of thee)

Sincerely,Yours
Alfed F. Jones(America)

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bowlan

the politicons have been selling us down the river for years with so called free trade bills that kill american jobs.
the media tells the public lies constently.
the economy is on the verge of total collapse.
you think its bad now,wait till next year.
you havent see any thing yet people.

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Jean-Francois Morf

Israeli-American multibillionaires pretends that their billions fall from heaven! But they have ruined billions peoples!